Malaysian student receives the Cambridge Assessment International Education Award during the recent Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards.
KUCHING — On 5 May, Emily Chai Pei Xuan, 17, a student at St Joseph’s International School, Kuching Sarawak received the “Top in the World” Award for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) examination in Mathematics. Emily out-shone close to one million candidates globally, to earn herself this prestigious award.
“Last year was indeed a challenging year due to the pandemic. Not only did we have to adjust to online classes and prepare for our IGCSE exams, but we also had to adapt to a new living lifestyle. Therefore, I am earnestly grateful to be presented with this award as it helps to strengthen my passion for Mathematics. I would like to sincerely thank my parents, teachers and friends for their support and guidance throughout the years. Their encouragement have made me firmer in pursuing my dreams. I believe that dreams do come true when you put in effort and enjoy what you are doing.”
– Emily Chai
“It has been a great pleasure teaching the first batch of IGCSE candidates from SJIS and I could not be any prouder to know that Emily has won the award. We have been through a lot together including teaching and learning in a new norm. I am impressed at how quickly we could adapt to the situation, and eventually making teaching and learning effective. Emily is a girl who stands out in the crowd as she would always be the first one to complete any work assigned in the class. She would also take extra initiative to learn Mathematics outside of the lesson time. She is very inquisitive and diligent, and has proven that all her hard work pays off. Well done!”
– Ms Gladys De Rozario, Mathematics teacher
Besides excelling in her studies, Emily is also active in extra-curricular activities and voluntary work. These are commendable factors and has contributed towards her winning and receiving the highly esteemed Harvard Prize Book Award for the year 2020.
“I am glad that SJIS is able to produce a top in the world student from our first batch of IGCSE students. Many thanks to our teachers and Emily for their hard work despite the challenging situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Emily embodies in her the school motto Ora Et Labora. She also committed to work for differently able persons who need extra care and help from our society. Her achievement will inspire our teachers to continue grooming students to be responsible citizens who will also work for the betterment of our society.”
-Br Robert Teoh, FMS, Principal of SJIS
Emily is currently taking the Cambridge A-Level programme. As for her future plans, Emily is passionate in pursuing a career in the education sector. No matter what entails for Emily’s future, we wish her all the best and all the success in life.
